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Development Opening

AC Hotel® San Rafael Brings New Downtown Destination And Rooftop Bar To Marin County

Located just 18 miles north of San Francisco in Marin County, San Rafael is getting its first downtown hotel destination with the opening of AC Hotel® San Rafael on Wednesday, August 2. Located at 1201 Fifth Avenue on the corner of 5th Avenue and B Street, the hotel features 140 guest rooms, indoor and outdoor meeting space and several food and beverage outlets, including the city's first rooftop bar, Above Fifth. A destination for locals and visitors alike between San Francisco, Marin County and wine country, AC Hotel San Rafael invites guests to experience unpretentious style and purposeful design through thoughtfully crafted accommodations, working spaces and F&B experiences that are quintessentially Northern California.

AC Hotels by Marriott
San Rafael, California, United States
Appointment

Mark Pope has been appointed as General Manager at AC Hotel® San Rafael

With nearly 20 years of hospitality experience, General Manager Mark Pope has worked across multiple luxury, boutique and select service properties throughout Northern and Southern California. Mark brings a focus on team development and guest experience to each property, achieving five TripAdvisor People's Choice Awards throughout his career. He moved from Michigan to Southern California in 2014 working as Director of Guest Experience for the Sunset Plaza Hotel and later as Area Project Manager - Revenue for the Luxe Hotel before moving to the Bay Area, accepting the position of General Manager for Extended Stay America's Pleasant Hill property. Here he was a two-time Choreographer Award winner as the top performing General Manager in the Western Division. Two years later he became District Manager for the company's San Jose properties, seeing the destinations through the early days of the pandemic and exceeding the budget amidst the softening market. The opportunity to lead a hotel from pre-opening to launch led him to the Moxy Oakland Downtown by Marriott where he served as the Opening Manager/General Manager taking the hotel through construction and its first year of operation. Looking to open another hotel destination from the ground up, Mark joined the Evolution Hospitality team to open the AC San Rafael in October 2022.

Marriott
San Rafael, California, United States
Appointment

Jesus Avila has been appointed as Director of Engineering and Style at AC Hotel® San Rafael

Jesus Avila brings a diverse background of experience with both restaurants and hotels to his dual role of Director of Engineering and Style for AC San Rafael. As Task Force General Manager for Chipotle locations throughout Northern and Southern California, Jesus gained experience in not only opening new locations but also managing all aspects of operations and finances for existing restaurants. In 2005 Jesus opened his own restaurant and bar, Tortilla Flats, which he owned and managed for nearly twelve years in Chico, California before he relocated to Pleasant Hill to switch to the hotel side of the industry. He joined Mark Pope's team as Director of Maintenance for Extended Stay America, and later took on the General Manager position for one of its San Jose locations. In late 2020, he joined the pre-opening team for the Moxy Oakland Downtown as Director of Engineering and Housekeeping, responsible for coordinating all of the building interiors, fire and safety systems and more. Jesus joined Mark Pope's opening team for the AC San Rafael in January 2023, marking his fourth hotel project with Mark, and his first with Evolution Hospitality.

Marriott
San Rafael, California, United States
Appointment

Aashna Grewal has been appointed as Director of Sales at AC Hotel® San Rafael

Director of Sales Aashna Grewal spent more than five years working a number of sales roles for Marriott destinations in India before moving to the Bay Area in 2016 to work as a Sales Manager for the Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley. She later joined the Pier 2620 Hotel Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco as Senior Sales Manager, handling group and catering leads from all market segments for the 233 room property. She stepped into a Director of Sales position at Four Points by Sheraton in San Rafael two years later, working closely with the General Manager and Management Company to determine appropriate sales strategies while managing all sales for the hotel. During her time with the destination, Aashna saw the hotel's transition into the Marriott Hotels and Resorts portfolio, liaising with their national and global sales teams. Eager to grow within Marriott Hotels, Aashna was excited to join the Evolution Hospitality team at AC San Rafael, continuing to work in the greater Marin community while gaining experience in opening a hotel.

Marriott
San Rafael, California, United States
Appointment

Richard Hill has been appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer at Mosaic Hotel Group

Mosaic Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Richard Hill as President and Chief Operating Officer. Hill is responsible for all the operational aspects of the growing collection of award-winning, curated hotels, overseeing operational standards that are geared toward providing modern travelers with an immersive experience of local culture and community, heightened by truly personal service.

Palisades Hospitality Group (PHG)
San Rafael, California, United States